ISAF is currently seeking nominations to the ISAF Athletes Commission, with each of the eleven Olympic events entitled to an athlete representative on the Commission.

The election and voting to determine the one representative for each of the 11 Olympic events will take place during the 2007 ISAF Sailing World Championships in Cascais, Portugal.

The deadline for nominations to the Athletes Commission has been extended and all nominations must now be received at the ISAF Secretariat by 16:00 UTC on Monday 2 July 2007, with a proposer and seconder (one of which may be the nominated athlete).

There may be more than one nomination per event, and athletes are encouraged to consider being nominated for this important role.

ISAF and the Athletes' Commission are keen to encourage nominations from around the world and to achieve a geographic spread of athletes on the Athletes' Commission.

Role

The role of the Athletes Commission is to:

Be a non-political consultative body which can offer advice and assistance to ISAF on matters and issues of relevance to athletes and act as a link between the Olympic sailors and ISAF

Ensure that the athletes' points of view are presented to ISAF

Ensure respect of the rights of the athletes within the sport and draw up recommendations to that effect

Promote high standards of sportsmanship and ethical performance when competing/participating

Relate immediately to athletes competing/participating at the highest level and establish relationships to promote feedback to ISAF on matters concerning elite athletes

Establish a working group responsible for liaison with ISAF for ISAF Events to help ISAF respond to the needs of the athletes

May put forward its recommendations/proposals to the ISAF Executive Committee for consideration

ISAF organizes one meeting each year, which is held at the ISAF Secretariat usually in late September or early October. ISAF covers travel, accommodation and sustenance for this meeting, which is usually held over two days during a weekend. Other meetings are co-ordinated by the Athletes' Commission at ISAF Graded events. At this meeting, a representative of the ISAF Executive Committee is present and the Athletes Commission can make recommendations directly to the ISAF Executive Committee.

The Athletes Commission Athletes is expected to represent the interests of Olympic sailors to ISAF, and to encourage open communication and feedback from the sailors.

In the future the athletes elected will serve a four-year term, although for this election the term will be two years, 2007-2009, to align with the Olympic quadrennial. An athlete may serve as the ISAF Athlete Commission representative for a maximum of two terms. Athletes nominated cannot be an officer or paid employee of their MNA and/or Class Association and simultaneously serve on the ISAF Athletes Commission.

Elections

ISAF is now inviting athletes to nominate candidates to represent their Olympic event on the Athletes Commission.

I. Eligibility

To be eligible to serve on the ISAF Athletes Commission, athletes must have participated in the Olympic Games or be 'actively campaigning for the Olympics'. Athletes must also be classified as an ISAF Sailor, be a member in good standing of the class association of their event and of their Member National Authority (MNA) and hold an ISAF World Sailing Ranking.

In the future the athletes elected will serve a four-year term, although for this election the term will be two years, 2007-2009, to align with the Olympic quadrennial. An athlete may serve as the ISAF Athlete Commission representative for a maximum of two terms. Athletes nominated cannot be an officer or paid employee of their MNA and/or Class Association and simultaneously serve on the ISAF Athletes Commission.

II. Nominations

Any ISAF Sailor may propose a candidate from their Olympic event. Athletes may also nominate themselves. Only athletes ranked on the ISAF World Sailing Rankings may nominate an athlete for their event or nominate themselves. All nominations must be accepted by the nominee and seconded prior to the actual voting. Nominees who do not accept their nomination or fail to gain a seconder shall not be included on the final ballot for voting.

Voting

Voting will take place online via the ISAF website during the 2007 ISAF Sailing World Championship, 28 June-13 July 2007. Only athletes entered at the 2007 ISAF Sailing World Championships will be entitled to vote. The voting methods and exact voting timeframes will be clearly published by ISAF.

Only athletes entered to the World Championships will be entitled to vote. An athlete may only vote to elect the representative in the event in which they compete.

For those athletes without access to a computer, you may use the computer in the Race Office to cast your vote. Voting will be based on a simple majority. In case of a draw between candidates, the athlete who is highest on the rankings will be elected.

On Monday 2 July, ISAF will announce the date when voting will open online.

For a complete list of all the news about the ISAF Athletes' Commission and news related to the Athletes' Commission CLICK HERE.

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